Tooth-brush.



No. 682,836. Patentedsept. I7, |901. L. H. ARNOLD.

`TO0TH BRUSH.

(Appu'cation med nu. 7, 190i.) (No Model.)

.ZYG 2. y FIGHE. H44.

WITNESSES.' 1N NT l Y l' f f r l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUOIEN H. ARNOLD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOOTH-BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent N o. 682,836, datedSeptember 17, 1901.

Application filed March 7. 1901. Serialllo. 50,202. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUCIEN H. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Tooth-Brushes, of which theyfollowing is a specification.

I have been led to this invention by the annoyance caused to users oftooth-brushes through the coming loose or falling out of the bristleswhile the brush is in the mouth g and its object is to prevent thebristles from falling out, thereby lengthening thelife of the brushes,as well as avoiding the annoyance referred to.

In my improved brush instead of securing the bristles in any of themethods heretofore in Vogue I cut the recesses in the back of the brushin which the tufts or bunches of the bristles are secured in dovetailform-that is to say, with undercut walls or sides-Land then secure thebristles therein by combining with them a soft filling,- such as tin orlead or other metal or material whose form can be readily changed bypressure. A section of this filling material, which is first reduced toattenuated or Wire form, is inserted endwise in each recess with thebristles, either at the time of positioning the latter or subsequently,and is then forced entirely within the recess by pressure applied to itsouter end. This causes the material to assume a globular or lump formwithin the recess, the expansion being in horizontal directions andresulting in forcing the bristles outward and under the undercut walls,so that they are firmly locked in the recess.

The nature of my improvement will be more fully understood from theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my improvedbrush,- partly in section. Figs. 2, 3, and 4. are enlarged partialsections, showinga single tuft or bunch and its recess, the firstshowing the tuft in position ready to receive the filling material, thesecond showing the material positioned in the tuft, and the thirdshowingit as compressed and locking the tuft.

In said drawings, 5 represents the body or back of the brush, and 6 6are the recesses therein for the reception of the tufts or bunches ofbristles and havingtheir sides or Walls undercut, as plainly-shown.

7 7 represent the bunches of bristles which are doubled or bent at theirlongitudinal center preparatory to insertion, as Lwill be unL derstoodfrom the enlarged figures. The filling or locking metal is convenientlyreduced to wire form, as this permits it to be inserted in the center ofthe tuft and below the contracted mouth of the recess, and a sec'- tionof it is shown as thus positioned at 8 in Fig. 3. After the filling 8has been positioned, pressure from above is applied to its outer end,and it is thereby compacted intoglobular or lump form, as seen at S,Fig. 4, in which form it is expanded horizontally to a sufficient extentto force the bristles under the underL cut Walls. ing thus expanded thebristles will be firmly held in the recess, and that they cannot becomeloose or drop out, and that the locking action will be eective not onlyto hold the tuft as a whole in place, but that the indi# vidual bristleswill also be held against dropping out.

While the invention has been devised especially for use intooth-brushes, it will'be understood that it may be used in otherbrushes as well. In tooth-brushes, and perhaps others, the material usedfor the filling should be able to resist moisture and the acids of themouth. The invention permits the applica; tion of a locking means to thetufts which cannot injure them in any way, and if metal is used itrequires neither heat nor moisture.

While I have described the reduction of the filling material prior toinsertion to wire or attenuated form, it will be understood that I donot utilize it as a means of forcing the tufts into the recesses, as hasbeen the practice with some of the tuft-fasteners heretofore used. Itwill also be understood that while the undercutting of the tuft-recessesis advantageous, yet my improved fastener can be used with benefit Wherethe recesses have parallel walls.

I claim- The brush having its tufts secured in the tuft-recesses bymalleable filling material inserted in attenuated form and compressedlongitudinally into laterally-expanded lump forni within the bends ofthe tufts and acting t0 force the bristles outward against the walls ofthe recesses, substantially as specified.

LUCIEN n. ARNOLD.

Witnesses EDW. S. EvAErs, H. M. MUNDAY,

It will be seen that with the fill# roo

